How Men and Women Experience MS Differently

Men and women experience multiple sclerosis in different ways. While MS is not a "female disease," more than three out of four people with MS are women. Not surprisingly, few studies have been published about the management of MS in men or the experiences of men with MS. Recently I attended an entire session at the 30th Annual Consortium of MS Centers Conference held at National Harbor, Maryland, June 1-4, 2016, dedicated to men and MS.

Men tend to have a more progressive onset of disease, more rapid accumulation of disability, and need help with mobility more quickly than women do. Men with MS typically have fewer relapses, but the relapses they do have are more likely to affect motor function and less likely to be sensory in nature. However, men and women tend to reach disability milestones at overall similar ages. How MS affects the brain differs in men versus women. For example, men experience a greater ratio of T2 Gd-enhancing lesions that evolve into T1 hypointense lesions (i.e., “black holes”).

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Men Experience MS Differently Than Women Do

Is Stem Cell Therapy "The MS Cure?"

Stem cell therapy continues to show promise as an effective treatment for more advanced multiple sclerosis, albeit not without risk. Results from studies that have been ongoing for many years are slowly being published, including data from a Canadian study of immunoablation (wiping out the immune system with chemotherapy) and autologous haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (transplantation of a patient's own bone marrow-derived stem cells), also known as IA-HSCT, for aggressive multiple sclerosis.

The Canadian study — a small phase II trial led by Drs. Mark Freedman and Harold Atkins — enrolled 24 patients with aggressive MS who underwent the chemotherapy/stem cell therapy procedure. Results demonstrated that IA-HSCT was effective in halting disease progression (no relapses and no new gadolinium-enhancing or T2 lesions) in about 67 percent of participants in the three years post-treatment. Sixteen patients experienced no increase in disability, seven patients experienced continued increase in disability, and one patient died from treatment-related complications. To date, surviving participants have been followed for four to 13 years, and 35 percent have experienced reduced disability.

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Is Stem Cell Therapy a ‘Cure’ for MS?

Age-Related Changes in MS

As people with MS live longer, they’re now also faced with the consequences of normal aging. It can be difficult, though, to know if the cause of worsening symptoms in older MS patients are due to conditions commonly brought on by aging such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, an intensified degenerative/inflammatory process directly related to MS progression, or a combination of these factors. Here are some of the more common complications of age and MS.

Difficulties with mobility

As people age, mobility becomes more of a concern. Last year it was reported that from 2004 and 2012, the number of American adults over the age of 65 who used canes and other mobility devices increased from 16 to 24 percent.

Although MS patients of any age may require mobility aids, statistics have shown that the aging process itself may further contribute to the growing need for them. For instance, a study of 2156 people with MS, found that older persons over the age of 65 with MS had a significantly higher rate of disability compared to their younger counterparts. It also found that a higher percentage of older adults required a cane and other types of bilateral support to walk 25 feet. A higher percentage also needed a wheelchair, scooter, or were bedridden.

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Disease Comorbidity and Age-Related Changes in MS

Children at Higher Risk of Psychiatric Disorders When Parents With MS Have Depression

Pregnancy and new parenthood are risk factors for depression, affecting 15 - 20 percent of mothers in the first year following delivery and 10 percent of fathers. Peripartum depression — depression, anxiety, or mood disorders in the month before childbirth and year following delivery — greatly affects quality of life, may impact other members of the family, and can influence the mother-child bonding that is crucial for psychological health.

Depression and anxiety are about twice as common in people with multiple sclerosis than those without MS. Men and women with MS are equally at risk for developing peripartum depression in rates higher than individuals without MS. Researchers in British Columbia conducted a study to examine the rates of peripartum depression in parents with MS and to determine the impact of parental depression on the development of psychiatric disorders in their children.


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Depression in Parents with MS May Lead to Psychiatric Disorders in Children

Aging and Multiple Sclerosis

People with MS have been living longer than they did 40-50 years ago, especially since the introduction of disease-modifying medications. Researchers have noted that life expectancy and average age of persons with MS have increased significantly during the past two decades, but remains on average seven years less than the general population. Studies have shown that increased mortality rates are often related to comorbidities, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression, lung disease, or infectious diseases. (Marrie 2015)

As people with MS live longer, they begin to face more of the conditions traditionally associated with aging or advanced aged. Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between concerns that are related to MS and those that may simply be related to aging. In a recent literature review, researchers discuss several factors related to aging and MS, including common comorbidities, that can help healthcare professionals distinguish between the effects of normal aging, relentless MS disease progression, a new disease common in aging, or some combination of these (Sanai et al, 2015).


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The Effect of Aging and Multiple Sclerosis

Copay Assistance Programs, and More, Available to MS Patients

Copay assistance programs can be blessings for patients who cannot afford to pay for prescribed medications despite insurance coverage. Frequently, drug manufacturers are able to provide financial help directly to patients in need. To access manufacturer-sponsored programs, visit the brand website for the MS drug which you have been prescribed.

For patients who do not quality for manufacturer programs (perhaps due to insurance coverage through government programs such as Medicare), the following non-profit organizations offer additional help paying for medications. Some of these programs even offer financial help with insurance premiums and transportation costs to obtain treatment.

In general, to participate in these programs, the patient must have valid medical insurance that covers the prescribed medication, which in turn must be included on the program formulary; and the patient must meet annual household income criteria established by each program.

• Good Days
• The Assistance Fund
• Healthwell Foundation
• Patient Access Network
• Patient Services, Inc
• Caring Voices Coalition
• Patient Advocate Foundation

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7 Assistance Programs MS Patients Need to Know